DEPUTY MINISTER FUZIAH MADE CHAIRMAN OF LYNAS EVALUATION PANEL – WHILE LAWYER ART HARUN APPOINTED NEW EC CHAIRMAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Azhar Azizan is the new chairman of the Election Commission (EC), Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar announced today.

He takes over from Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah whose term of service ended on July 1.

Ismail said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, had consented to the appointment.

Azhar, 56, also known as Art Harun, holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Malaya and a Master of Laws from King’s College, University of London, is an advocate and solicitor with Messrs Azhar & Goh and has expertise in electoral laws, he said.

“Azhar launched his career in law in 1987 at Allen & Gledhill. From 1992, he served as a lawyer at Messrs KH Koh, Azhar & Koh,” he said.

Ismail said Azhar had also served at several leading legal firms, including Messrs Khaw & Hussein; Messrs TH Su & Partners; Messrs Lamin & Co; Messrs Hisham Sobri & Kadir; Messrs Shafee & Co and Messrs Cheang & Ariff.

“I am confident that his qualifications and experience can enable him to discharge his duties and responsibilities well as the EC chairman as stipulated in the Federal Constitution,” he added. — Bernama

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh to head committee to evaluate controversial Lynas plant

KUANTAN: Fuziah Salleh (pic) has been appointed as the chairman of a Lynas evaluation committee. She is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and MP for Kuantan, the closest major town to the controversial Lynas plant.

She will evaluate the operations of the Lynas Advanced Materials plant in Gebeng (near Kuantan) under a three-month tenure as the committee chairman starting from Sept 24.

She was notified of her appointment by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin in a letter dated Sept 19 sighted by The Star.

Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze said recently that she did not feel another review into the plant’s operations was necessary, but will cooperate if it was the government’s wish.

Lacaze said the company had been subjected to numerous reviews in the past and was given the all-clear for its operations.

“We are the most reviewed company in Malaysia,” she claimed.

“We have had two International Atomic Energy Agency visits. We have been challenged four times in court, including a full merits hearing,” she added.

At a high-tea session hosted by Lynas on Tuesday (Sept 18), Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Andrew Goledzinowski said it would be a tragedy if Lynas was shut down.

He said many jobs and families in the vicinity would be affected while the reputation of Pahang and Malaysia would suffer as a result.

Goledzinowski also said Lynas was a pioneer business in Malaysia and would serve to attract more investors if it was successful.

However, he said it was the Malaysian government’s right to hold another review but hoped it would be a public process that involved the media.

– ANN